by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

Marine Gen. John Allen earned a reputation as an effective and innovative commander in the deserts of western Iraq in 2007 where he helped stitch together a loose network of Sunni tribes that allied themselves with U.S. forces and turned on al-Qaeda.

That accomplishment helped beat down a vicious insurgency that threatened to overwhelm Iraq and drew the attention of Army Gen. David Petraeus, the overall commander in Iraq at the time.

At the time Allen served as deputy commanding general of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force in Anbar province. His work in western Iraq secured his reputation as a top leader who understood counterinsurgency and could get results. Like Petraeus, he combined an academic bent with a warrior ethos.

It was Petraeus who recommended Allen to become his deputy when Petraeus took over Central Command, headquartered in Tampa. The command is responsible for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before arriving in Iraq in Jan. 2007, Allen - a student of history - read all he could about Gertrude Bell, a British official who lived among the tribes before becoming oriental secretary when the British ruled Iraq after World War I.

He encouraged leaders within the command to read deeply about tribal culture, delving into sociological studies and historical works. Allen has said he would have become an archaeologist if he hadn't ended up as a student at the Naval Academy and then a career in the Marine Corps.

Allen and his unit arrived in Anbar, a sprawling province in western Iraq, after Marines and soldiers already met with some initial successes with tribal leaders, particularly in Ramadi, the provincial seat. Allen led an energetic effort to build on those successes, helping to empower tribes and strengthen their ties both to the coalition and the Afghan government.

He shuttled around the province, meeting with tribal and government leaders in non-stop negotiations. The strategy was a recognition that tribes held the keys to winning over the population in western Iraq and reflected Allen's belief that understanding culture was an important part of counterinsurgency.

"Everywhere we have seen failure either in our own experience in Anbar or failure in Iraq it has generally been because we dismissed the role of the tribes and the sheiks," Allen said during an interview in 2007.

As a result of those efforts Anbar, the onetime heart of the Sunni insurgency became one of the most secure regions in Iraq. Before he left the country, the provincial council made him an honorary citizen of Anbar.

Allen arrived in Afghanistan as the momentum of the Taliban was being blunted. He oversaw initiatives to establish local self defense forces in villages and towns.

He also dealt adroitly with President Hamid Karzai, said Mark Jacobson, a fellow at the German Marshall Fund and former deputy NATO civilian representative in Afghanistan. Allen also worked to maintain the unity of the coalition, which consists of more than 40 countries.

"This is something that Allen handled masterfully," Jacobson said. "It's the hardest thing about the job at ISAF," he said, referring to the International Security Assistance Force that oversees all international forces in Afghanistan.

Allen oversaw the coalition at a time when the number of U.S. troops declined to a presurge level of 68,000 troops. That required shifting more responsibility to Afghan security forces without pulling the rug out from under them, said experts.

"A key part of a mission was setting ground work for successful transition," said Stephen Biddle, a national security analyst and professor at George Washington University. "He was reasonably successful at that."